Former Renault F1 Managing Director Flavio Briatore believes that Lewis Hamilton should have been removed from the results of the European Grand Prix after the Englishman overtook the Safety Car in Valencia.With the Safety Car having been deployed on Sunday for Mark Webber’s accident, both television and amateur video footage do confirm that Hamilton narrowly passed the Safety Car as it made its way on to track – something for which he was handed a drive-through penalty later in the race.
However, Briatore – who was present in Spain but is barred from working in the sport until 2013 for his part in last year’s ‘Crashgate’ race-fixing scandal – believes the Englishman got off lightly.
“The rules are not precise,” the 60-year-old explained to Italy’s Sky Italia.
“They (FIA stewards) shouldn't have penalised Hamilton after 20 laps – it should have been after two or three laps and passing the Safety Car should gain you a black flag.
"Hamilton is lucky - everything he does ends up turning out well.”
Source: GP Update
